Accident Sequence
On May 18, 2020, at approximately 1110 central daylight time, a Beech F90, registration N960V, was substantially damaged during a precautionary landing near McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, Tennessee. The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The flight was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 corporate flight.
According to the pilot, after takeoff from TYS, he moved the landing gear handle to the retract position, after which the red “gear unsafe” light illuminated. The pilot returned to the airport and conducted a low-altitude approach so that an airport tower controller could visually confirm the landing gear position. The tower controller reported that the nose landing gear appeared “slanted like it wasn’t down and locked.” The pilot then performed the unsafe gear checklist and attempted to manually lower the landing gear, but the red gear unsafe light remained illuminated. During a subsequent low-altitude approach, the controller indicated that the main gear appeared down but that the nose gear did not appear fully down and locked.
After another low-altitude approach with the same observation, the pilot elected to perform a precautionary landing. Shortly after touchdown, the main and nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and came to rest on a taxiway.
Examination Findings
Examination of the airplane revealed that several stringers and ribs were impact damaged, the nose landing gear actuator punctured the top of the fuselage, and the left aileron was impact damaged. Examination of the left main landing gear showed that the landing gear scissors had fractured at the bolt attachment area and that the landing gear was twisted sideways and jammed against the main landing gear doors. The landing gear circuit breaker that controlled the landing gear motor had popped. Additionally, examination of the landing gear handle revealed that the emergency engage handle was not placed in the STOP detent, the position indicated in the landing gear manual extension procedures in the pilot’s operating handbook.
Maintenance History
A review of the operator’s maintenance records indicated that on February 6, 2020, the airplane underwent a landing gear overhaul. At the time of the overhaul, the airplane had accumulated a total of 12,512 hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane had a total time of 12,533 hours. During the 21 hours that the airplane flew between the landing gear overhaul and the accident, no reports of any mechanical irregularity were documented.